The present invention generally relates to a composite fastener, a belly nut, a tie system and/or a method for reducing heat transfer through a building envelope. More specifically, the present invention relates to a composite fastener, a belly nut, a tie system and/or a method that may operate to secure a wall, such as, for example, a masonry wall, through insulation to a backup structure, such as, for example, a steel stud, a wood stud, a structural steel, a concrete, a block, another wall and/or the like. The composite fastener may be constructed from, for example, a fiber reinforced polymer that may have fibers embedded in a polymeric matrix. The composite fastener may have a low thermal conductive value (k-value) and may have non-corrosive properties. A first end of the composite fastener may extend through the insulation and may be attached to the backup structure. The belly nut may be used, for example, in masonry veneer anchor applications. The belly nut may have a fastening hole on a first side of the belly nut for attaching a second end of the composite fastener to the belly nut. Further, the belly nut may have a pathway to receive a leg of a pintle from a top surface of the belly nut to a bottom surface of the belly nut. The pathway may have a length that may allow for greater vertical adjustment eccentricity between the belly nut and the pintle without creating large horizontal deflections of the tie system.
It is generally known that thermal insulation, such as, for example, styrofoam board (k-value≈0.033 W/mK) and/or polyisocyanurate (k-value≈0.028 W/m K) is used to reduce conductive heat flow through a building envelope. The building envelope may be a separation between an interior environment and an exterior environment of a building. The building envelope is typically designed with a number of factors in mind, such as, for example, temperature control, moisture control, structural integrity and/or the like. The building envelope may be located, for example, between two or more external walls of a building. The building envelope may exist, for example, in and/or around masonry veneers, masonry cavity walls, roofs, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), exteriors of metal buildings, and/or the like. Thermal insulation is typically situated and/or installed somewhere between the interior environment and the exterior environment of the building. Provided that the thermal insulation is continuous and/or uniform in the building envelope, thermal insulation may effectively lower heating and cooling costs while minimizing the potential of condensation on or within building components.
It is generally understood that building components should be designed to work together to create a continuous barrier to heat flow through the building envelope. Known components, systems and/or methods for securing an external wall to an internal wall or other like structure often have thermal insulation and/or moisture barriers situated between the external wall and the internal wall. However, known components, systems and/or methods have fastening devices that pass through the thermal insulation and/or the moisture barrier to fix the external wall to the internal wall. The known fastening devices are constructed from materials that have high thermal conductivities, such as, for example, stainless steel (k-value≈16 W/m K), carbon steal (k-value≈54 W/m K) and/or zamac alloy (which may be composed of ninety-two (92) percent zinc having a k-value≈116 W/m K). Further, the materials used to construct known fastening devices may be expensive and heavy.
The building envelope of a modern building may have hundreds and/or thousands of known fastening devices that may incidentally and/or passively act as thermal bridges and/or thermal shorts through the thermal insulation and/or the moisture barrier. In fact, the known fastening devices may be used to perforate the thermal insulation and/or the moisture barriers into the support structure. Known fastening devices significantly reduce the effectiveness of thermal insulation, moisture barriers and/or other insulation components. As a result, a building having known fastening devices may exhibit excessive heat loss or gain through a metallic material of the fastening device. Further, condensation related issues may arise as a result of the thermal bridges. For example, a dew point may migrate to a point closer to the interior environment of the building. Mold may grow and/or thrive in the building envelope. Moreover, thermal insulation, insulation components and/or fastening devices may exhibit accelerated corrosion due to the presence of moisture and/or due to the metallic properties of the fastening devices and/or the insulation components.
Further, in masonry veneer applications, known systems for securing an external wall to an internal wall have a fastening means for fastening a nut to the internal wall. The nut has a hole for receiving a leg of a pintle. The pintle is fixed to, for example, a mortar joint of the external wall. The pintle is designed to allow the leg of the pintle to slide vertically up and down in the hole to allow for vertical eccentricity in either wall and/or to allow fitting of the pintle and the belly nut when the pintle and the fastening means may not be situated on a same plane. The known systems prevent movement of the external wall in directions perpendicular to the internal wall. However, the hole of the nut may be too shallow; therefore, when large vertical eccentricities exist, deflection of the wall often results because the leg of the pintle is allowed to rotate about the hole towards and/or away from the internal wall.
A need, therefore, exists for a composite fastener, a belly nut, a tie system and/or a method for reducing heat transfer through a building envelope. Additionally, a need exists for a composite fastener, a belly nut, a tie system and/or a method that may operate to secure a wall, such as, for example, a masonry wall, through insulation to a backup structure, such as, for example, a steel stud, a wood stud, a structural steel, a concrete, a block, another wall and/or the like. Further, a need exists for a composite fastener that may be constructed from, for example, a fiber reinforced polymer that may have fibers embedded in a polymeric matrix. Still further, a need exists for a composite fastener that may have a low thermal conductive value (k-value) and may have non-corrosive properties. Still further, a need exists for a composite fastener that may reduce and/or eliminate thermal bridging through the building envelope via the composite fastener. Still further, a need exists for a composite fastener that may reduce and/or eliminate condensation and/or accumulation of moisture within and/or near the building envelope. Still further, a need exists for a belly nut that may have a pathway to receive a leg of a pintle having a length of the pathway to allow for greater vertical eccentricities while reducing horizontal deflections of the pintle.